


Draw Me Closer (As If We Are Two Magnets)

by PaiPai



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Actually has a little more serious plot, Also might have some smut later later on!, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comedy, Dumb DUMB boys, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, GAY GAY GAY, M/M, Matchmaker Soul, Oblivious Black Star, Oblivious Death the Kid, Other ships down the road, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:38:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24750175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaiPai/pseuds/PaiPai
Summary: “You know Maka, sometimes I think you’re dense. But I finally found someone who is denser than y-“ Soul chuckled before his meister’s infamous Maka Chop rammed into his skull, “Why’d you hit me for that!”“I am not dense! I’m great at reading people!”“Then tell me who I’m talking about that’s denser than you, Maka.”- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Mission- Operation: Death★StarObjective- Get Death the Kid & Black★Star together.Description- With the tension between Black★Star and Kid becoming almost palpable, Soul decides an intervention must occur. Enlisting the help of the ever dense Maka, secret fangirl Tsubaki, eager Patty, a motherly Liz, and a crew of nosy Shibusen staff: this is one mission that might not be so easy- but, it's all in the name of helping two friends break the brick walls they've put up around themselves. Maybe, even realize that order and power both still leave plenty of room for love to squeeze in.
Relationships: Black Star/Death the Kid
Comments: 30
Kudos: 112





	1. Maka's Fundamental Airball

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I've recently wormed my way back into the Soul Eater fandom- and DeathStar has quickly wormed its way back into my OTP list!  
> I hope you enjoy this story- and just for some timeline reference, this is still part of the canon universe. Chapter 1 opens up around the Experiment Arc (anime episodes 13/14-ish & manga chapters 10/11/12-ish) and follows most canon events for a while before diverging into a canon divergence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sake of a timeline, this is happening around the Experiment Arc of Soul Eater (anime episodes 13/14-ish; manga chapters 10/12-ish). This story overall will have some canon divergence, but for the most part, follows normal events for the first few chapters.

“You know Maka, sometimes I think you’re dense. But I finally found someone who is denser than y-“ Soul chuckled before his meister’s infamous Maka Chop rammed into his skull, “Why’d you hit me for that!”

“I am not dense! I’m great at reading people!” 

“Then tell me who I’m talking about that’s denser than you, Maka.” 

Soul raised an eyebrow and glanced at the rest of their friends who were on the basketball court as the meister pair sat on the bench. Maka narrowed her eyes and studied each part of her unit. 

First, there was Liz and Patty. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, what with Patty just kicking rocks on the ground and Liz wailing to Black★Star that he’d ended up chipping her nail polish. Next, there was Tsubaki- as calm as ever as she wrapped her arms around her meister to try and drag him away from an inevitable conflict with the older Thompson sister. Nothing out of the ordinary there. 

Maka turned her eyes towards Black★Star, her eyebrow furrowing. His soul wavelength was... trembling? He was nervous? Or was he anticipating something? 

At last, Maka took a glance at Kid, who’s foot was tapping anxiously on the concrete. She could almost feel a growing irritation and hear the ticking timebomb that was Kid’s thinning patience regarding his weapons (because now, Patty had decided her rock kicking would be useful to aim towards Black★Star) and the Bushin. 

Within a second, Maka tried to stand up and get involved before being quickly pushed back into a seated position. 

“What was that for?” 

“Just shut up and watch.” 

Begrudgingly, Maka crossed her arms after throwing a sour look at Soul. 

“And what exactly am I supposed to be watching, Soul?”

“I guess I underestimated you. You really might be denser than those two.” Soul grimaced, slyly glancing back at his meister, who just responded with a low grumble. 

The scythe meister turned her eyes back to the court, seeing an outcome that she hadn’t expected. 

“Black★Star.” 

With one word, the loud-mouthed martial artist stepped away from Liz & Patty, swiftly picking the ball from Tsubaki’s hands with flushed cheeks. 

“How in the hell did Kid just saying Black★Star’s name make him stop at the drop of a hat? Even with Tsubaki, he puts up a little more of a fight...” Maka’s eyes widened and snapped over to her partner. 

“What even-“

“Come on, Maka, I can’t believe it took you this long to realize that Black★Star has one weakness, and it has nothing to do with his combat skills.” A toothy grin spread across Soul’s face, “Besides, I’m Black★Star’s best friend, I know him like the back of my hand.” 

“Kid? Kid is Black★Star’s weakness? But why?” Maka furrowed her brows. “And why is Kid’s soul wavelength a little nervous and shaken up. Have those two fought again?”

“Well, Maka, what does it mean if someone gets all flustered and wobbly kneed around someone else and their cheeks get all red, and their heart rate spikes. You’re not that dumb, even I figured that out.” Soul leaned his head back, taking a long stretch while looking over at Maka. 

“A crush? But what would that have to do with Kid and Black★St--“ Maka trailed off, the gears in her head clicking. “Oh. Their souls are nervous because they both have a crush on someone here and don’t want to embarrass themselves!” 

“Finally, something intelligent. You get it now, Maka?” Before Soul could continue, the blonde meister perked up. 

“Oh! So Black★Star likes Tsubaki and Kid likes one of the Thompson sisters! Do you know if it’s Liz or Patty?” Maka’s eyes lit up with her realization, only to have Soul’s hand clamp over her mouth. 

“Don’t yell, genius. They might hear you!” Soul groaned through gritted teeth. 

“Don’t worry, we already have.” A dry response came from Kid, standing in the middle of the court with the ball in hand. “I think I’ve had enough for today. I’ll see you all later.” 

With that, Kid reached his hand out and materialized Beelzebub, and before even his weapons could say anything- the Shinigami was out of their sight. The basketball bounced slowly on the ground where Kid stood seconds before.

“Great.” Liz sighed. “Well, Patty, we better wait a while before we go home and get caught up in a neurotic whirlwind. Kid isn’t happy.”

“And, well, no offense Tsubaki, but you really aren’t my type. Someone as great as me wouldn’t even dream of settling down!” Black★Star exclaimed with his normal boisterous energy, but the wide grin didn’t meet his eyes. “With that, I’m gonna get some food. I’ll cook tonight, Tsubaki!” Black★Star hopped up onto the basketball hoop, and with a swift leap was on his way from the court. 

“I wasn’t trying to upset anyone...” Maka whispered, eyes downcast. 

Patty quickly came into view, crouching down low to face Maka from underneath. “Silly, it’s all fine! You didn’t say anything mean, you’re just loud!”

A short cough came from Soul before he joined the conversation as well. “Now that the moron and Kid have left, I wanna talk to you guys about something.” 

All eyes fell on Soul with curious expressions. 

“Maka and I were talking about Kid and Black★Star, but I don’t believe in Maka’s interpretation one bit. As their weapons, I want your opinion.” Soul’s eyes briefly met Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty’s, each weapon responding with a nod and wide eyes. “Am I the only one who feels as if Black★Star and Kid are dancing around each other?”

Tsubaki lightly chuckled, a small droplet of sweat appearing at her brow. “Well, Black★Star barely even mentions any name besides Kid’s anymore. I don’t think we’ve gone more than ten minutes without our conversations making it back to him.”

“And, Kid’s just been a bit... more tense and quiet than usual,” Liz noted. 

Patty quickly chimed in, adding, “And he mumbles to himself a lot again! He only does that when he’s really nervous like he did after destroying Anubis or his first day at the academy!”

“And their wavelengths felt weird just a minute ago.” Maka slowly commented, “They both gave off a really nervous feeling. Like they were overanalyzing their every word or were anticipating something.” 

Soul looked at the weapons in front of him and meister to his side, his eyes rolling. “You really haven’t put this together?! I’m not supposed to be the cryptic and smart one, that’s for Maka and Kid to do.” The pianist sighed, stretching out his hands. “I think Black★Star and Kid have feelings for each other that aren’t very platonic.” 

Maka blinked before it hit her. “You could’ve just told me that instead of making me guess and making those two run away!” 

“I mean, Soul, you are making sense. Kid and Black★Star are rivals, but their fixation on each other isn’t a normal kind of rivalry.” Liz shrugged. “But, what’s the point of telling all of us that you’ve got a hunch that those two like each other?”

“Kid is always stressed out of his mind about absolutely everything and anything. Someone as spontaneous and optimistic as Black★Star would be good for him. Same applies the other way around- Although Kid can be neurotic, he’s also very meticulous and calm. He’s practically Black★Star’s counterpart.” Soul mimicked Liz’s movement and shrugged before leaning back again. “I think that those two getting a little closer wouldn't be such a bad idea.”

Patty giggled and leaped onto Tsubaki’s back. “I love making plans! This could be so fun! Mmm...” The weapon pursed her lips and shut her eyes for a second, before excitedly opening them. “Ah-ha! Operation: Death★Star!”

Tsubaki sighed, “Well, it might not be such a bad idea. If your feeling is right, Soul, then maybe getting them together would be a really good thing for both of them.”

Maka grinned, her hand clutched in a determined fist. Standing up quickly, she exclaimed, “Then it’s settled! Time for Operation: Death★Star!”


	2. A Cup of Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid storms off from the rest of the group after Maka's comment, and can't seem to stop thinking about why he was so defensive about his feelings. Instead of solitude, he's met with a boisterous Black★Star who decides that a mopey Kid is unacceptable, and has to find a way to fix it at all costs!

_Inhale. Exhale. Left. Right._

_Inhale. Exhale. Left. Right._

_Inhale. Exhale. Left. R-_

“Damn it. I’ve never been this distracted by merely walking.”Kid sighed, one hand coming up to rub the left side of his head. “ _I just can’t get Maka's comment out of my head. I don’t like anyone- and I surely would never like my weapons. I don’t even really care for women and their highly asymmetric breasts and frustrating eyebrows. I’ve never even meant a woman with even breasts, little less my weapons. I don’t think about things as... as little as a dumb crush._ ”

The hand Kid held against his head clenched into a fist, gripping the section of his hair that was marked with the Lines of Sanzu. “Disgusting. Disgusting, am I even one to judge Liz and Patty for imperfections when I’ve got so damn many of my own.”

“You know, in the presence of someone as big as me, mumbling mean things about yourself really isn’t very cool.”

Kid’s head snapped up, his teeth clenched tightly at the pain it caused his scalp with his fingers entangled in his hair.

“I didn’t even hear you, Black★Star.” Kid’s eyebrow twitched, “ _I wasn’t even able to sense his wavelength. Why is this weighing on me and distracting me? Stupid Maka...”_

“A star like me doesn’t let someone hear him until I want them to!” Black★Star laughed, hands on his hips.

Kid paused, teasing his bottom lip between his teeth. “But, why are you here in the first place?”

Black★Star’s arrogant smile dropped, “Well, one of my friends was upset, I couldn’t just let you go home like that.”

“And you were gonna do what?”

“I don’t know but I’ll figure it out!” Black★Star grinned, grabbing Kid by the arm.

Golden eyes widened as Kid was pulled off balance, Black★Star’s pace merely getting faster. “W-where are we going? What the rush?”

“Mm...” Black★Star pursed his lips and paused momentarily, giving Kid a second to breathe.

“You really never change, do you Black★Star? Always charging in without a plan in mind.”

Black★Star crossed his arms, “Well, then if you don’t want my help then I’ll just leave.”

“I didn’t even ask you to come here in the first place!” Kid turned his head, making a movement to turn around and head back on course to his home. Instead, Kid found himself swept off his feet. Literally.

“W-what the hell!? Put me... put me down!” Kid kicked his feet, only to be thrown over the assassin’s shoulder.

“Yeah, that isn’t happening.” Black★Star chuckled, “I know where we’re going, and I think you actually might like it.”

* * *

“The great Black★Star has delivered the princess to the location!” With a loud laugh, the blue-haired boy dropped Kid off of his shoulder and unceremoniously onto the ground.

“You ass...” Kid groaned, straightening his clothes as he rose from the concrete and looked forward. “A coffee shop?”

“No shit, Sherlock.” Black★Star shook his head as he waltzed to the door. “Coming in or not?”

The shinigami hesitated, watching as a couple walked out of the door hand in hand.

“ _This sure as hell isn’t helping me get over my distractions.”_ Kid thought as he walked forward to meet Black★Star, his steps almost uncertain.

“Distractions?” Black★Star mused, “I don’t think you meant to say that one out loud, did ya?”

“Please stop talking or I’m going to leave before we even walk inside.”

Black★Star chuckled, “Sure, sure. Do whatever you want Kiddo.”

“I’ve given up all hope for you.”

Black★Star held the door open, watching the shorter boy enter the darker coffee shop. “ _But, I sure as hell haven’t given up hope for you.”_

Kid rapidly scanned the coffeehouse, before boldly strolling over to a tall table beside the window. “This is the only spot that has any kind of symmetry.”

“Yeah, yeah, okay. What do you want?” Black★Star commented without taking his eyes off the menu board.

“Whatever you think- Suprise me.”

“The great Black★Star won’t disappoint!”

Kid took a seat, staring down at folded hands.“ _You never do, Black_ ★ _Star...”_

* * *

The shinigami was soon startled by a cup being set down in front of him as Black★Star returned. On the surface of the cup was a carefully drawn latte art in the shape of a heart, making Kid gasp.

“It’s perfectly symmetrical...”

A nervous chuckle came from across the table, “Well, I asked them to make it as symmetrical as I could, so I’m glad you’re happy...”

Black★Star watched carefully at the other’s intense eyes that were studying the coffee’s decoration with wide eyes and an O-shaped mouth.

“ _Cute... wait, no, that’s not cute! Cute is for puppies... but his floppy hair is kinda like a puppy.”_ Black★Star thought before taking a long drink from his own coffee cup.

Kid soon closed his eyes and took a sip as well, humming in appreciation. “You didn’t disappoint, Black★Star. It’s good.”

Black★Star couldn’t help the smile that came across his face. “Of course it is! I’m Black★Star after all!”

“How could I forget...” The shinigami chuckled, leaning down to take a careful sip of the drink in from of him. However, before Kid could even set the drink down, a loud bang came from outside the coffee shop. He watched as the latte art he’d attempted to keep intact was disturbed by the explosion, a sigh escaping his mouth.

Black★Star barely opened his mouth before Kid rose from his seat, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

The assassin laughed loudly before bolting out of the coffee shop, glancing around to see a large creature making its way down the cobblestone street. People quickly bolted from the area with loud screams, leaving the two meisters face to face with the oddly shaped creature.

“We can’t even drink a cup of coffee without something happening, Black★Star.”

A cocky grin spread across Black★Star’s face, “Nothing is ever boring with someone like me!”

Before the creature could move, Black★Star moved in a quick blur to slide beneath the creature’s legs to knock it off its feet. Kid followed close behind, jumping up toward a building to rebound atop the monster. The shinigami flipped and wrapped his legs around the creature’s neck and pulled the monster to the ground, leaving its vulnerable stomach wide open for Black★Star.

“Now!”

A shockwave of Black★Star’s soul wavelength was sent through the creature, a loud cry of pain escaping its mouth. Within seconds its form withered away, leaving behind just a mere kishin egg.

“That’s for Tsubaki, of course.” Kid responded while taking the soul into his hands, closing his eyes and collecting the soul for temporary holding.

“I mean, I don’t mind giving it to Tsubaki, but why don’t you give it to Liz or Patty?”

“Dumbass, Liz and Patty can’t have an uneven number of souls. They each have 69 currently, I can’t mess that up.” Before Kid could finish, he heard Black★Star snicker.

With a hand in his hair, golden eyes were rolled. “Very mature, Black★Star.”

“Well then, with that taken care of, why don’t we head back to the coffee shop!” Black★Star smiled widely before grabbing Kid by the arm and dragging the shorter boy back to where they’d been in the first place.

“I have legs that work, you don’t have to drag me or carry me everywhere we go just because I was upse-“ Kid cut himself off, tightly sealing his lips with a silent hope that Black★Star’s oblivious nature would kick in.

Luck was definitely not on Death’s side.

“Upset, you say?” Black★Star muttered, weirdly serious. “Don’t think we’re gonna ignore this one.”

“Damn it.”

* * *

“Tsubaki, Tsubaki! Come here right now!” Maka whispered in a hushed tone, pulling the Japanese girl over to her side.

The two girls watched as the two meisters drifted close to one another on their trek away from the mess of a street they left behind.

“Maka- Black★Star’s hand...”

The scythe meister peered over Tsubaki’s shoulder, watching as the blue-haired assassin’s grip loosened around Kid’s arm. The hand slowly trailed down Kid’s sleeve, stopping once it reached the shinigami’s wrist.

The two girl’s gasped, eagerly watching Kid’s sudden response. Kid himself moved his hand up to lace his fingers with Black★Star, lowly mumbling, “I-If you refuse to let me walk on my own, then the least we can do is walk in a more symmetrical fashion.”

“Y-yeah,” Black★Star loudly cleared his throat, “The symmetry.”

Maka grasped Tsubaki’s shoulder urgently, a tiny squeak coming out of her mouth. “We might not even have to do much more than observe at this rate.”

“If there’s anything Black★Star isn’t, it’s patient.” Tsubaki sighed, “I think we’ll know pretty fast if Black★Star likes Kid- if he wants something, he’s very vocal about it.”

Maka nodded, a smile on her face as the pair dissapeared inside the small coffee shop.


	3. Coff(ee) It Up, Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid & Black★Star find a resolution to their impromptu coffee date before preparing for a new mission from Lord Death- to find something called the "Black Dragon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to update- a lot has been going on in my life. Plus, it's almost my birthday and I'm hoping to not fail my driver's test. But, enough about me, and more about the lovely DeathStar~

Once back at the table,Kid stared intensely into the dark coffee. The atmosphere soon became tense, neither meister speaking up.

“You know I’m gonna make you tell me what bothering you, right?” Black★Star raised his eyebrow, taking the final sip of his coffee.

“Black★Star, it doesn’t concern you.”

“Except it kinda does.” The assassin shrugged, his eyes locked fiercely with his companion.

Black★Star had expected another smart-ass response from the shinigami, but was instead met with nothing more than a soft sigh and silence.

“Was it what Maka said?”

Kid closed his eyes, realizing that he was better off just giving Black★Star his answer instead of letting him continue to pry.

“Sort of.” He mused, licking his lips nervously, “I always feel really odd whenever relationships come to mind. It’s not like I can exactly love a normal human because no matter what, I’m going to outlive them all, and in the end I’m the one who will be collecting their souls. It’s already gonna be hard enough to say... s-say goodbye to you all anyways.”

Black★Star’s face was eerily serious, his expression quickly softening as watched golden eyes subtly tear up.

“Well, you know I’m the man who will surpass God.” Kid rolled his eyes as Black★Star continued, “So you won’t be getting rid of me that quickly. But no matter what, Kid...”

A tanned hand reached across the table, grabbing the shinigami’s pale hands. Black★Star’s thumb traced over one of the silver rings on Kid’s fingers before continuing, “You won’t be alone. Not if I can do anything about it.”

A comfortable silence settled between the two, before the assassin felt an odd wetness drop onto where his hands interlaced with Kid’s. A few passerby’s in the shop glanced over, but quickly snapped away once they saw the intense blue eyes that glared them down.

“I-I’m sorry, people are staring, aren’t they?” Kid chuckled dryly, moving one hand off the table to wipe his cheeks that were tinted with a light flush. “ _I can’t tell if it’s the stares of everyone else or just his stare that makes me feel as if I’m completely exposed.”_

“Lemme take you home, yeah?” Black★Star tried to lighten the mood, a half-smile spreading across his face. “I think we have a mission tomorrow, anyways.”

“I’m not a damsel in distress, I can get myself home.” Kid raised his head, quickly standing back up.

“Fine, fine, princess. I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?” Black★Star snickered before escaping the coffee house, already feeling Kid’s deathly stare on him.

“I’m no princess either, Black★Star!”

* * *

“Alright, here’s the plan. Lord Death needs us to investigate something called the ‘Black Dragon.’ There was a recent attack that wiped out an entire village except for one person, and Death needs us to figure out what’s going on.” Maka announced, holding the mission information in her hand before folding it back into her pocket.

“Well, why are we just standing here?” Soul groaned, lazily stretching. “The sooner we leave the less class we have to do.”

“Of course that’s what you care about...” Tsubaki sighed while trailing behind the other pair, her meister excitedly dashing ahead.

However, another meister crossed their path and cut the four off.

“It’s going to be more difficult than just investigating an attack. The meisters who explained the attack in the first place explained that all the human souls have been collected by this mystery attacker- hundreds of souls.” Kid lifted his head, Liz and Patty stopping by his side.

“We’ll be fine, Kiddo!” Black★Star patted the shinigami’s shoulder before forcefully turning him around. “Now, let’s get moving!”

The sun cackled high above, burning down onto the seven students as they made their way down the red stairs of the DWMA. Black★Star looked around at all the bustling people- the normal people who lived their lives working regular jobs, shopping at regular shops, and being... regular. The assassin noticed the odd stairs their ensemble was given, furrowing his brows.

“If you keep thinking, your head will pop off. You’re probably getting close to your max thought limit for today, bro.” Soul mused, standing beside Black★Star.

“Whatever. I have plenty of great thoughts!” Black★Star huffed.

“I know that. Just don’t think too much, it’s not like you to get stuck in your head. That’s the stuff Maka and Kid do.”

Black★Star’s breath hitched at the mention of the black-haired meister, his eyes briefly glancing at the other’s poised form. “ _Damn, I can’t even hear his name and not react. What the hell?”_

A loud cough stopped the group in their tracks as Maka spoke up, “Guys? How are we going to actually travel? Soul & I have his motorcycle, but that’s only good for two people.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Patty piped up with a grin from ear to ear, “Kid can do some other fun stuff with that skateboard of his, so if Tsubaki, Sis, & I all stay in weapon form, he and Black★Star can just squish together!”

Black★Star’s immediate thought was to argue, demanding that he could walk, but after realizing how far away their location was- it sure wasn’t going to be very efficient compared to a damn motorbike or a magical skateboard.

“I-I can make it work.” Kid mumbled, reaching out to summon Beelzebub.

The skull-covered skateboard materialized, before quickly settling into it’s place on the ground. Soul had dissapeared, off to get his vehicle, while the remaining weapons settled into their weapon forms. Black★Star hesitantly glanced down at the small board, then back up at the Shinigami.

“Look, the faster we do this, the faster we’re at our location, the faster this is over.” The black-haired boy ran his fingers through the left side of his hair, stepping onto the board before being stopped by the other meister.

“You know, I’m bigger than you and I do know how to ride a skateboard...”

“No. I’m not going to be carried like a helpless child again, and you most certaintly are not going to be in charge of my board.” Golden eyes flatly stared into green, before Black★Star shrugged.

“Suit yourself, Kiddo.”

The shinigami adjusted his stance, feeling the board shift underneath the addition of Black★Star’s body. Kid felt Liz and Patty almost vibrating in his pockets with laughter, and couldn’t help the flush that spread across his pale face. The muscular assassin was pressed completely against Kid, his arms securely wrapped around the other’s thin waist.

“Comfy?” Soul laughed, reving the engine of his orange bike, accompanied by Maka’s loud laughter.

“...Just move.” Kid grumbled, Beezlebub’s wheels rotating and lifitng the two meisters off the ground to follow behind the laughing sycthe pair.

The wind began to pick up, and Kid felt Black★Star’s hands wrap tighter around his waist. Hot air brushed over Kid’s ear as Black★Star whispered, “You okay? You feel really tense.”

“How could I not be tense?!” Kid retorted, his head falling backwards (and coincidentially, into the crook of Black★Star’s neck) before continuing, “I’m trying to guide Beelzebub while being squeezed to death by an arrogant bastard.”

“Come on! I’ve seen you go faster on this thing before, Soul’s bike isn’t that fast!”

“That wasn’t the point, Black★Star.”

The aforementioned boy just rolled his eyes and playfully squeezed the shorter even tighter to his chest. Kid chuckled, “You know, your heart is racing. Are you scared of heights or something?”

It was now Black★Star’s turn to flush, “Something like that...”

When Soul began to slow down, Kid let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding before decending slightly. “Are we almost there yet?”

“Yeah- I can see the village.” Maka turned around on the bike before hopping off. “Now, let’s find the man who is still there.”

As Beelzebub touched the ground, the shinigami slyly elbowed Black★Star. “Off.”

“Hey, hey, I’m getting off! I’m getting off!” Black★Star defended, before chuckling, “That’s what she said.”

“What are you, five?” Maka raised an eyebrow before Black★Star burst into loud laughter.

“That’s a stretch, Maka. I’d give him like four at most.” Tsubaki lightly joked, stretching her arms as she transformed out of her weapon form.

The Thompson sisters followed suit, joints cracking as they stretched out their bodies from their travel in weapon form.

“So, there’s supposed to be a Black Dragon here?” Liz asked as the group began to move on foot, nearing the enterance to the village. “It’s giving me creepy vibes for sure...”

“It’ll be fine, big sis!” Patty squealed, taking the older weapon by the hand.

“I agree with Liz, though, this place is giving me the creeps.” Maka shivered, her eyes narrowing.

“Let’s just be careful and get this over with.” Soul mused, being answered with nods from the rest of their group.


	4. The Black Dragon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang finally arrive at the village to learn more about the Black Dragon, and meet a new person who doesn't quite know how to deal with what's going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry it's been so long, I just turned 16 and got my driver's license! Now, this is when the story is gonna really get a little different from the actual canon, but still follows the general series of events.

As the group neared the enterance, the air seemed to chill. Liz whined, leaning into her shorter sister with teary eyes. 

“Come on, Liz. It’s no worse than anything else we’ve dealt with.” Kid shrugged, adjusting his black cloak around his shoulders. 

“Wait, Kid, where the hell did that come from?” Soul raised his eye brow, hand motioning to the death cloak now across Kid’s body. 

“At this point, we don’t even ask where Kid gets stuff. It just kinda... shows up when he wants it.” Patty answered, shaking off her older sister. 

“I’ve never seen you wear that, dude.” Black★Star laughed, “You look like your dad.”

“No, really?” Kid sarcastically mused, flatly looking at Black★Star. 

The assassin merely chuckled before Kid’s hand was slapped over his mouth. “You sense it, Maka?”

“Yeah,” Maka nodded, “We need to find the man who’s still here before whatever that is gets closer.”

  
The seven students ventured deeper into the village, soon speeding up their pace at the sound of a cry for help. Maka peeked into a house before seeing a man huddled in the corner. 

“Go away! Please, please, don’t kill me too!” The man wailed, pressing his body even further against the wall. 

“We’re here on behalf of the Shinigami and the DWMA, you don’t need to worry.” Kid spoke up, stepping in front of Maka. 

“Ooh, serious Kid.” Black★Star whispered to Soul, before quietly chuckling and being playfully smacked by the white haired weapon. 

The man relaxed slightly, eyes still wide. “Are you here for the Black Dragon?” 

“We’re here to kill that thing for you!” Black★Star chimed in. 

Tsubaki walked over to the hesitant man, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I promise we won’t fail you, sir.”

The man nodded, glancing at the group. “Please take anything you might need.”

* * *

“A library?” Black★Star groaned before swiftly being smacked with Maka’s infamous chop. 

“The Black Dragon is a bit of a local legend, so, we need to gather information from local resources,” Maka explained, “Since we can’t exactly ask the local people, the library is one of the only places to look."

The door of the library creaked open, and Maka hesitantly led the way. There was dust that had settled all around the building, and a small cloud of dust flew into the air as the group entered.

A high pitched sneeze was heard from the back of the group, heads turning to find the source. 

"Bless you, but who sneezed?" Soul asked, glancing over his shoulder from where he stood beside Maka.

Kid flushed, lowering his head to avoid dragging attention his way until Patty laughed. "That was 100% Kiddo!" She giggled, reaching over to poke Kid's arm. 

"Bro, that was an adorable sneeze." Black★Star chuckled, pinching the shinigami's cheek as his face flushed a darker shade of pink. 

Kid jolted away, "It was literally just a sneeze, what's 'adorable' about that?" 

Maka and Tsubaki chuckled together as their eyes settled on the two bickering meisters. 

"They're being so blatant, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that neither of them even realizes what they're doing," Tsubaki whispered to the shorter female who nodded in agreement. 

The group finally settled down, splitting up to search for any useful books or information stored within the dusty, run-down library. Black★Star marched through the building, briefly glancing at the shelves he passed by- Tsubaki trailing close behind. 

"Black★Star, do you even know what you're looking for?" 

"Not one bit." 

The weapon walked up and placed her hand on Black★Star's shoulder, stopping his frantic actions. "You seem oddly rattled, Black★Star. What's bothering you? We need to focus on the mission, you know this."

Before Black★Star could even respond, a loud crash and curse were heard from across the building- the words 'fuck', 'Soul!', and 'damn it!' standing out. 

"Ah... let's just go check on them, alright?" Tsubaki sighed, before adding, "But, you & I are gonna have a talk once this mission is over." 

"Yeah, yeah, let's just see what the dumbasses are up to." 

Tsubaki and Black★Star arrived to see Maka and Soul stood over the wreckage of four bookshelves completely toppled onto the floor, the books scattered and dust cloud rising. 

"...but we found the book we needed, Maka." Soul shrugged nervously. 

"And destroyed half of this damn library, idiot." 

"Details, Maka. Those are just details." 

Within seconds, Kid, Liz, & Patty appeared beside the chaos, unsure of what to say. Maka fumed, grabbing the book on the Black Dragon from her partner's hands and exclaiming, "Let's just read this and get out of here." 

* * *

"You know, I still don't feel cool with taking someone who is probably dead's boat," Soul mumbled, stepping into the small wooden boat. 

"Bro, the old dude said we can take what we need, and the book said the Black Dragon is in the water." Black★Star declared while standing at the bow of the ship, finger pointed forward, "Onward, peasants."

Kid grabbed the assassin by the collar, pulling him off the pointed bow, "Don't stand there dumbass. We can't see over your big ass head." 

"We're gonna stop arguing, alright? Let's just find the creepy ship and the Black Dragon." Liz butted in, whacking both of the boys with the rowing paddle she held. "Sit down and shut up!"

To everyone's surprise, the two sat across from one another and pinched their lips shut. Silence settled over the group, nothing being heard besides the creaking of the wood and the moving water surrounding them on all four sides. 

"Hey guys..." Tsubaki tentatively said, looking into the distance. "I think we might've found it." 

A large ship broke through the slight fog, an eerie feeling sending shivers through the seven students. Patty eagerly began rowing, the boat taking a sharp turn and speeding up quickly. 

"Patty... Patty!" Kid exclaimed, trying to make his weapon stop rowing before their smaller rowboat slammed into the side of the ship, sending the three meisters at the front flying into the hull. 

"P-patty! That hurt!" Black★Star grumbled, hand on his now bleeding nose. 

Quickly, Kid stood up and turned to his weapon after wiping the blood from his own face, before demanding that she had to hit the ship in the center at least. Before any of the slightly more sane weapons could stop her, Patty was quickly rowing towards the ship again. 

After the sharp impact, Maka held the book from the library and smacked Kid aggressively, "Why the hell?" 

"It was symmetrical that way." The shinigami defended, rubbing furiously at his head. 

"Come on, let's get it together already and get on board!" Liz huffed as she grabbed her sister, following closely by Tsubaki. 

* * *

The group wandered through the ship before an outstretched hand stopped their movement. 

"Kid, what's wrong?" Tsubaki asked. 

"Please wait up here, alright?" Kid lowered his hand and turned to face the group, "I can sense that below here are hundreds of human souls, and I have to collect them- but I think there probably is something else down there."

Maka pursed her lips, "Well, isn't that why we should come with you?" 

"If the Black Dragon is here, you guys are better suited to fight it up here. If something happens, I'll be here to back you all up." Kid explained, "Liz. Patty. Come on." 

Kid was stopped by Black★Star grabbing his arm forcefully, "Damn it, Kid. Stop being so stubborn and thinking you have to do everything alone anymore. We're a team- we're all going down there, okay?" 

Kid paused, sucking his lower lip into his mouth. "You won't take no for an answer, will you, Black★Star?" 

"Nope."

Maka piped in, "And neither will we. Soul?" The scythe quickly transformed, affirming his meister's words. 

Tsubaki followed behind, transforming into her chain scythe mode and falling right into Black★Star's hands. 

"Come on, now. The longer we're here, the more likely we're gonna be found." Kid commented, leading the way down the stairs. 

The sight before them made Kid's blood run cold, taking in the appearance of hundreds of souls. "If something's here, cover for me." He reached out both hands, closing his eyes and lowly whispering. 

Black★Star and Maka watched with intrigue, stepping back to give Kid some space. 

"It's kinda weird to see him doing, like, shinigami stuff." Black★Star whispered, eyes watching as the souls began to migrate in Kid's direction. 

The assassin's mind drifted back to their conversation at the coffee shop. _"Oh... maybe part of why he didn't want us down here was because of that. He doesn't want us to see him as a Death God- he wants us to just see him as Kid."_

Maka hummed, glued to the sight before her- until a large explosion clouded the room. 

"Damn it." Kid grimaced, watching as a weird man drifted through the floor of the ship, stopping Kid as he tried collecting the souls. 

"These are for the Kishin- I'm not letting a baby Shinigami take these from The Flying Dutchman!" 

Black★Star quickly swung Tsubaki forward, watching as his attack was easily avoided as the man disappeared into the floor and reappeared on the other side of the room. 

"Liz, Patty, transf-" Kid was stopped in his tracks as the floorboards opened up beneath where Liz, Maka, and Soul were standing. 

"Kid!" Liz cried as the floor sealed back up, leaving Kid with just Patty. 

"Come on, Kid, we need to fight this guy." Black★Star exclaimed, Tsubaki transforming into a shuriken.

"I-I can't. I can't fight with Patty alone." Kid clenched his fists, "Before you say it's stupid, I physically can't fight with just one of them. I can't."

Patty nodded, knowing the extent of her meister's symmetrical tendencies as she prepared herself to fight. 

"You sure you can fight in human form, Patty?" Tsubaki called from her weapon form, hearing Kid chuckle in response. 

"Trust me, Patty is completely capable of fighting on her own." 

"This is cute and all, but I can't let people like you continue living as threats to the Kishin." The Dutchman commented, his form solidifying and charging towards the group. 

"My attacks really aren't doing much from afar, Kid." Black★Star narrowed his eyes, "Patty, Kid, help me get closer to him. I'll see if my soul wavelength can do anything."

The two nodded, both taking the offensive to try and take hold of their enemy long enough for the assassin to get close. 

"Come on, hurry!" 

But, an unfamiliar blade came slicing through the air and cleanly cutting through the ghost ship's captain. 

"What the hell?" Black★Star stepped back to dodge, settling beside Kid and Patty. 

A slender figure emerged, their head low and face obscured by messily cut pink hair. "Did you know my blood is black?" 


	5. Emotional Overload

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew faces the Black Dragon's killer and are introduced by name to a new foe. On the way back from the mission, tension and stress is at an all time high: leading to an unexpected fight between friends.

"I hate this, I hate this, I hate this-" Liz whined, clinging desperately onto Maka's sleeve. 

Soul stared over at the eldest Thompson sister, "Weren't you and Patty badass con artists on the streets of New York?" The pianist received a teary nod in response, "Then quit being such a baby!"

"It's a damn ghost ship! Look, I've worked too hard for a hot body like this to lose it to a ghost!" Liz wailed, only to get slapped by the girl she clung to. 

Fist tightly clenched around the Black Dragon book, Maka chastised, "Some of us don't even get to have a hot body, stop it!"

" _That's_ what you got out of this, Maka?" Soul sighed, "I now empathize with Tsubaki, I can't deal with this."

The dark hallways of the Nidhogg creaked beneath their feet, the three inching through the darkness. The stifling air soon became ice-cold, halting the two girls. 

"Maka? You feel that?" Liz tenderly asked, burying her face into the meister's shoulder. 

"I-It's suddenly really cold. Soul?" 

The aforementioned weapon transformed, ready to fight with Maka the moment danger appeared

Through the walls, a childish- and transparent- figure emerged. But, even though the quite literal ghost was startling, it was Liz's gut-wrenching wail that was truly startling. " _Oh, I told you there were ghosts coming after us. I'm gonna die, aren't I?"_

The young girl that had materialized before them had sad, sunken eyes that sadly didn't match the youthful pink dress and blonde hair she had. "I'm not here to hurt you. Aren't you friends of the blue-haired boy, the baby reaper, and those two weapon girls?"

Maka hesitantly nodded, although her grip on Soul didn't falter. "And we're supposed to trust you just like that?" 

"Y-yeah! Who's to say y-you won't just eat my soul and take my body?!" Liz huffed, crossing her arms. 

The spirit rolled her eyes, "What would I gain from eating you? I really don't want my soul to be taken to the Kishin as the captain of this ship wanted, and you guys could help free my soul to just pass peacefully." 

Liz gazed at the other living female cautiously, before Maka relaxed. "Well, then, show us the way." 

* * *

"Black★Star..." Kid narrowed his eyes at the figure before him, "It's the demon sword." 

"You mean the one that cut Soul open in Italy?" 

The shinigami nodded as his fists clenched, fingers itching for his twin pistols. Black★Star took a step closer to the other meister, a small grin on his face. "Well then, we better fuck him up, yeah?"

"Yeah." 

The demon sword began to move, causing the others to tense up before their slender body began to contort. Limp arms swung around, holding Ragnarok high above their head. "Ragnarok, scream resonance." 

The wide mouth on the blade opened in a loud scream, the whole room seemingly vibrating from the sheer volume. But, the real motive behind the indirect attack was quickly revealed when the scattered human souls began to move toward Ragnarok's mouth. 

"Damn it- Kid? Can't you do anything?" Black★Star turned to his right. 

"I can't focus on the souls with this noise, Black★Star." Kid's hand reached up to rub the left side of his head before being grabbed by Patty. 

"Stop it," The weapon demanded, "Don't get up in your fucking head right now, you need to move your ass and fight. You know you don't really need Liz or I to kick ass." 

Black★Star raised a brow, "Wow, Patty, I didn't know you were that much of a potty-mouth." 

"It's the only way Kid can get back into the groove after getting up in that hyperactive brain of his," Patty shrugged, before turning her attention back to the demon sword. 

The pink-haired figure swayed, the noise finally concluding as Ragnarok consumed the human souls. "Do you want more, Ragnarok? There's four right in front of us, you know. We know how to deal with that, don't we?"

The demon sword charged forward, blade slashing, before being confronted face-to-face by Black★Star. Tsubaki's chain held the blade in place, before pushing the meister-weapon combo back into the wall. 

Patty made the next move, sweeping the demon sword's legs out from underneath him and diving away. 

"Come on, Crona, fight back!" Ragnarok complained, before continuing with a groan, "Oh, don't tell me that it's the girl making you nervous." 

The now identified Crona whimpered, "But, I don't know how to deal with girls. This one is fighting all by herself unlike the blonde one with the scythe boy." 

Black★Star prepared his next strike, crouching in the corner. Under his breath, the assassin whispered, "Trap★Star, go." 

Kid reached out for Beelzebub, summoning the board and grabbing Patty by the arm. Once the shinigami and weapon were suspended in the air, Kid shouted, "Black★Star, wherever you're ready." 

The chains that had quickly surrounded the room began to move, tightening around Crona's lithe form. The demon sword swung the black blade, able to cut with enough force to cause Tsubaki's hold to falter. 

"Kid- just let me transform," Patty grimaced, watching Black★Star's wide eyes in the aftermath of his failed attack. 

"No- Patty, I can't." 

"But you can now."

A familiar voice came from one of the doorways, the elder Thompson sister following behind Maka & Soul. 

"About time ya'll show up to the party." Black★Star pouted, looking over his shoulder. 

Liz and Patty both were encapsulated in blinding light, soon settling into Kid's expecting hands. The shinigami let out a deep breath, gold eyes focusing on the demon sword. 

"You piece of shit." Maka seethed, her eyes burning holes into the pink-haired figure before her, "You deserve to die right now!" 

The scythe meister charged, timing a hard swing right at Crona's body before meeting the equivalent of steel. 

"My blood is black, a weak blade with a weak swing does nothing." 

But, the demon sword was startled by a sudden onslaught of bullets from above. Kid quickly fired round after round, sending Crona flying down the hall behind them. 

Black★Star quickly charged forward, only to stop a few steps into the hall. 

"It... it's gone." 

"Of course it got away." Maka sighed, loosening her grip on Soul as he transformed back into his normal form. 

The other three weapons followed suit, peering past the three meisters. 

"This isn't going to be the last time we see the demon sword," Kid acknowledged, closing his eyes tightly. 

"We'll get him next time, alright?" Liz placed her hand on Maka's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. 

"We have to."

* * *

The boat trip back to the village was uncomfortably silent, the tension in the air palpable. There was an unsettling feeling about the mission being technically accomplished, even though the real threat was still on the run, coursing through the team. 

Surprisingly, it was Tsubaki's voice that cut through the woeful silence. "You know this wasn't a defeat. The Black Dragon is dead, no matter under what circumstances it happened." 

"She's right," Soul agreed, lazily stretching out, "We can't do anything right now except for figure out a plan on what we can do the next time we meet the demon sword." 

"Crona," Black★Star supplied, "The sword called its meister, Crona." 

Maka began to speak, but her words fell on deaf ears to her fellow meisters. Kid and Black★Star both were unfocused, faces contorted into uncharacteristically high amounts of tension. 

As the rowboat pulled into the dock of the village, the group departed one by one- except for Black★Star. Kid stopped, stepping back into the boat. "Black★Star, come on."

"Yeah," The assassin murmured without his usual vigor, looking up to see a pale hand outstretched toward him. 

His calloused hand gripped Kid's, letting himself be pulled onto his feet and dragged along the village. 

"It's already getting late," Tsubaki noted, glancing at the darkening sky above them, "Do we want to just stay the night here?" 

"Sounds like a good idea to me!" Patty cheered, her happy exclamation being cut off by a small yawn. 

Footsteps echoed in the empty village from the group of DWMA students, several pairs of eyes looking through broken windows and peeling siding to try and find a suitable place to camp for the evening. Even the familiar sound of crickets chirping or the wind rustling tall grass was eerily missing from the warm evening. 

"I'm sick of this silence, I want to leave as soon as possible," Maka commented before stopping, "This house is still in decent shape. Let's at least check it out."

Her sentiment was mutually agreed on because every person in their troupe was ready to have the unsettling pressure that was weighing on all of their chests the longer they remained in the village. The laughing moon even seemed to chuckle a little louder that evening. 

When the door to the cottage was opened, the group was met with the sight of a brightly furnished living room. The red couch was covered in pillows, right beside it, a coffee table that still even had a half-empty coffee cup atop it. 

"Those poor souls..." Tsubaki sighed, grabbing the cup and swirling the coffee around. Kid merely grit his teeth at her wording, reminded of his own personal failure on the ghost ship. 

"Speaking of souls, did you get the ones on the ship, Kid?" 

Liz had good intentions, but as the saying goes, the road to Hell was truly paved with good intentions. 

"It doesn't fucking concern you, Elizabeth." 

A cold tone wasn't exactly uncommon from the son of Death, but one laced with such unnerving fury was. 

"What the hell, Kid? I just asked a question." The weapon replied, her eyebrows furrowing in response. 

"Did something happen?" Maka asked, her weapon partner following the question up with one of his own, "Dude, why are you so on edge?"

"Because I fucked up, alright? Happy now?" Kid raised his voice, throwing his hands in the air, "Are you all pleased to know the precious little prodigy has royally fucked up and let the demon sword consume all the souls, alright?" 

"No one was trying to hurt your ego, your highness," Black★Star snapped, stepping up to the shinigami. 

"Stop this!" Maka stepped between the two taller boys, placing her hands on each of their chests, "I don't know why this is bothering you so deeply, Kid, but no one here wants to hurt you." 

"Doesn't give him the right to be a royal dick." Black★Star refuted, green eyes never leaving Kid.

"That's gold coming from the most egotistical dick I've ever met." 

"You're gonna go to different rooms, and cool down." Tsubaki declared, grabbing her meister by the collar and hoping the Thompson sisters would do the same. 

* * *

"This is a better time than ever for me to sort out whatever has been going on between you and Kid because what just happened," Tsubaki kept her grip on the assassins collar tight, "Was obviously something more than today's frustration." 

Black★Star huffed, rolling his eyes, "You're not my mother, Tsu, stop lecturing me." 

"At this point, it's not about me or what I want. This is the kind of issue that will affect the team, and considering the stakes of our battles now- we need to all be on the same page."

The weapon stared down her cocky meister, eyebrows furrowing before softening slightly. 

"You're worried, aren't you, Black★Star?"

The blue-haired meister grabbed Tsubaki's wrists to make her let go of his wide collar, "I don't really care, Tsubaki."

"Oh, really? You don't care about your teammates?" 

"That's not-"

Tsubaki sighed, "That's exactly what you just said, Black★Star."

The assassin avoided his weapon's eyes, focusing intently on the framed photos on the wall of the bedroom they were in. From the looks of it, it seemed to be a small family of three. A little girl with blonde pigtails being pushed on the swings by her parents- innocent souls that weren't alive today. Innocent souls that had been consumed by Crona earlier that day. 

"What is it you're trying to make me say?" 

"I'm talking about Kid, Black★Star." Tsubaki finally released her meister's shirt, watching the brief change in Black★Star's expression at the mention of the other boy. 

Black★Star scoffed, "I'm supposed to be worried about the baby death god?" 

"I mean, it sure seemed like you worried about him when you took him out on an impromptu coffee date the other day."

"How did..." Black★Star's eyes widened, "How did you know about that?" 

"You two got into a big fight in the middle of the road and drew a lot of attention, how could I not find out where you were?" Tsubaki chuckled, a knowing smirk crossing her face, "How about we sit down?" 

"I hate talking about the 'what do you feel about this, Black★Star' thing."

"Too bad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of this might have seemed a bit OOC, but I promise I have a plan!


	6. You Aren’t Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: In the aftermath of Kid's outburst, Liz & Patty try to get to the root of his sudden aggression; while Tsubaki tries to get Black★Star to open up about his feelings as well before the gang gets on the road to head home. 

Tsubaki took a seat on the edge of the bed, gently patting the empty space beside her. Her meister reluctantly accepted the silent offer, crossing his arms. 

"I know that something has been... off about Kid. If anyone here beside Liz or Patty even would have a clue what's happening, it's you," Tsubaki tapped a finger on Black★Star's chest as she finished. 

Black★Star glanced down, taking in a deep breath. It was futile to try and deceive his weapon partner- Tsubaki might be gentle in demeanor but was even more stubborn than Maka on her moodiest day. And, as little as Black★Star wanted to admit it, he _was_ concerned about Kid. 

"I wish I knew what was actually happening, but all I know is that he's been... stressed. Been thinkin' a lot more about everything he does- I think his OCD is getting worse or something," Black★Star explained, eyebrows furrowed, "I- I don't know."

Tsubaki threw her arm around her meister's shoulders, gently ruffling blue locks, "It's okay to not know. I don't know what's wrong with Kid, but I know it's going to bubble over unless somebody can get through to him." 

The Japanese girl looked fondly at the assassin who seemed so small under her arm. The young meister had come into her life like a whirlwind, uprooting everything she'd been taught to expect in a successful partner- but it was a surprise she'd never wish to trade for the world. He was the younger brother she'd never expected to have- a younger brother who she hated to see so downtrodden. Black★Star was built to win, built to always know the answers. 

"I know you can do that," Tsubaki broke the short silence, Black★Star turning to look up at her, "Be there for Kid. You two have a special friendship, and I won't pretend to understand it. In the morning, talk to him, alright?" 

When the blue-haired boy looked his weapon in the eyes, Tsubaki saw the determination that was almost always present on his face, "I will." 

"Good."

* * *

"What the hell was that, Kid?" Liz chastised, throwing her hands in the air.

"I..." The shinigami paused, his hand nervously coming up to the left side of his hair until being pulled away by Patty.

"Take a deep breath, Kiddo, okay?" Patty gave her meister a small smile, her voice light but face rather tense, "You're shaking." 

"I messed up," Kid's voice was just above a whisper, "Liz, you could've been in serious danger and I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. At least with Patty, you two can wield each other, but I doubt Maka would've been able to wield you & Soul."

Liz narrowed her eyes at her meister, "I'm not incapable of holding my own, Kid. If that's what you were so strung up about, then you obviously forgot who your weapons were." 

The younger Thompson loosened her grip on Kid's arm, only to playfully poke the side of his face, "Silly, Kid. We're always here for you, you need to stop trying to carry all your worries alone. Liz & I aren't the street kids who had to rely on you to get on our feet anymore- we go to school now!" 

"I'm not saying either of you two are weak," Kid stepped back, "I just don't want to lose either of you. It took-"

"'Me so long to find weapons that were symmetrical,' Kid, we've heard that story. We don't wanna lose you either," Liz interrupted before Kid continued: "I wasn't going to say that. I was _trying_ to say that it took me so long to find someone I could trust and finding two of those people is rare. I don't think I could lose either of you."

Liz blinked, visibly surprised while Patty moved to wrap her arms around the shinigami, cooing about how 'cute' he was. The older sister raised her brow, "Then what made the question about the souls make you go batshit?" 

"Because I failed at the one thing I'm actually supposed to do. I didn't need to enroll in the academy. Failing tests, skipping classes, and going on one-star meister missions aren't things I have to worry about because I never needed it in the first place," Kid grimaced, "But keeping innocent souls safe is quite literally the only thing I was made to do. And I didn't do it." 

Both Liz and Patty fell silent, neither knowing what they could try and say to comfort their meister. 

"You don't have to say anything. This isn't the kind of feeling you two can help with." 

Patty merely wrapped her arms tightly around Kid, her head falling against the small boy's shoulder. She felt the tension in his body- his rigid back, his tense shoulders, the tightness in his back. The weapon couldn't help but start crying, quietly whispering against his suit, "I'm sorry, Kiddo. I promise that we're gonna do everything we can to make sure you never have to feel this way." 

Liz walked behind Kid, her arms winding around both the meister and her little sister, "Now, don't be an asshole and explode at us again, okay? You're not alone."

"Thank you."

No other words needed to be said other than good night as the trio slumped together onto the small bed in the middle of what appeared to be a child's bedroom. 

* * *

"I have no idea what happened earlier, Soul," Maka mused, stretching out across one of the living room couches. 

"We're all stressed, you know," The scythe weapon sighed, rolling out the crick in his neck before slouching into the chair he'd claimed as his own for the night, "It was only a matter of time before we explode at each other. At least you and I can take it out on each other, but I sure know that Kid doesn't argue about personal things beyond symmetry with the sisters." 

Maka looked up at the ceiling before turning on her side to face her partner, "Still doesn't mean I can't be worried. Kid's always so put together and I don't like seeing him crack." 

Soul's eyes shut, his arms settling behind his head, "It'll be okay. I promise." 

"You better be right, Soul." 

"When am I not right?"

Maka rolled her eyes, "Quite literally all of the time."

"Not true!" 

"Yes, true!" 

A loud voice rang out from down the hallway, Black★Star peeking his head out of the bedroom he & Tsubaki were resting in, "Yo, shut the fuck up!" 

The pair in the living room chuckled, before lowering their voices. Soul groaned, "What did I tell you? We bicker constantly."

Maka chucked her shoes at the scythe, a sneaky smile on her face, "Now go to sleep, Soul."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

* * *

The laughing sun rose high in the sky, but it was late to wake compared to the restless shinigami who'd already been up & about. Kid had snuck out of the cottage housing their team and leaned against the back porch railing, unfocused eyes facing the sky. The air inside the home was suffocating with the lingering tension of the argument the night before. Even though Kid and Liz resolved their squabble, the same couldn't be said of Black★Star. 

Kid's lip twitched upward at just the thought of the other meister, before settling back into more of a frown. Out of anyone, Black★Star didn't deserve Kid's anger. A capable meister who could hold his own without a weapon and never was hindered by stupid compulsions like Black★Star didn't deserve to deal with an incompetent child. Kid had long accepted that fact, considering he'd known the boy long before Black★Star even knew of him.

_"Is that really Lord Death's son?"_

_"He doesn't even have any weapons on him..."_

_"I heard that no weapon at the DWMA is apparently suitable for him- spoiled brat thinks none of us are good enough for him."_

_"Really? I heard that no weapon could even stand him because he's got some serious mental issues..."_

_"Look at him- wearing a black suit like some goth and that ugly dye job. Why would someone want to put three white stripes in their hair?"_

_Kid was seven years old the first time he'd walked into the DWMA's main hall and watched as the crowds of students parted the like Red Sea to avoid contact. He may have been young, but wasn't deaf to the rumors spreading around. There wasn't much reason for him to actually come to the DWMA, but he'd heard a rumor of his own. A child about his own age was going to start training at the DWMA- an orphan from the infamous assassin family, Star Clan. They said his name was_ _'Black★Star.'_

_From day one, Kid had wanted to talk to this aggressive child. He was a ball of nerves each time, and instead just sat cross-legged on the far too big throne in the Death Room beside his father and observed the school through Death's mirror._

_"Father?" Kid inquired, "Why would you let a human child that small start fighting?"_

_Death chuckled, glancing over his shoulder, "This one isn't exactly like the other human meisters here. There's something within him that could easily become incredibly dangerous if it isn't guided wisely. His soul is strong, Kiddo, and he knows it."_

_Kid pursed his lips, "But, what's dangerous about that?"_

_"Because someone who has power will always just grow up to want more power. It's the kind of soul that could either be our strongest ally or our worst nightmare. His family was much of the latter."_

_The young shinigami hummed, placing his elbows on his knees and chin to rest on his hands. Maybe when he was a little older he'd have the nerve to talk to him. But, humans were confusing and this one was especially asymmetrical... but it didn't seem to bother him as everyone else did._

"Kid? Why are you awake this early?"

"I could ask the same of you, Tsubaki." 

The weapon breathily chuckled, "Touche. I'm just an early riser. But, my question still stands because I can almost hear the gears turning in your head." 

Kid chuckled, "You know," Tsubaki nodded, her expression curious, "I've actually known Black★Star since I was a little kid, but he never knew me. I was just having a weird little trip down memory lane."

"Why about Black★Star?" Tsubaki questioned, a soft smile on her face. In her mind, she immediately wondered how far she could pry. Kid wasn't dumb, but he also was far from the most socially adept person she'd ever met. 

"We fought yesterday, in case you've forgotten already. I wanted to apologize," Kid shrugged. 

"By reminiscing about your childhood?" Tsubaki pressed lightly. 

"I don't have control over where the mind goes, Tsubaki," The shinigami stood straight up and turned heel, "Let's go see if the others are awake, alright?"

Tsubaki noticed the slight flush on Kid's cheeks as she followed the reaper's lead back into the house, "Of course."

Inside, Maka and Liz were searching the home's kitchen, trying to see if there was anything still edible in the abandoned cupboards. Soul sat atop the counters, his hands tucked into his pockets. 

"Well, good morning!" Maka smiled as she strained, trying to reach what looked like flour on a high shelf before Liz merely reached up to grab the item with ease. 

Soul snickered, only to stop when Maka narrowed her eyes in his direction. 

"Maka and I are going to try and make pancakes for breakfast since we've got the basic stuff for it," Liz placed the flour on the counter, dusting off her hands. 

Patty soon entered the kitchen, rubbing her eyes lazily, "But, big sis... you suck at cooking."

"Hey!" Liz huffed, "You and Kid have survived this long whenever I cook!"

"...but I do the cooking?" Kid interjected. 

Tsubaki sympathetically put her hand on the meister's shoulder, "Kid, if I can offer you any advice I've learned dealing with Black★Star, it's best to just smile and nod."

"Smile and nod?"

"Smile and nod, Kid."


End file.
